Gators Galore

American alligators are usually found in freshwater, in slow-moving rivers. They are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes. Sailing from Baytown, Texas to Gulfport, Mississippi, through the Intracoastal Waterway, we have anchored out in "gator country". On many occasions we have seen them along the shorelines and on the banks.  Once, while anchoring, an alligator swam out to greet "Little Lara". Alligators can tolerate salt water for only brief periods as they do not have salt glands. The average size for an adult female alligator is 8.2 feet, while the average size male is 11.2 feet. Exceptionally large males can reach a weight of nearly half a ton or 1,000 pounds. The largest recorded alligator found in Louisiana measured 19.2 ft.

Alligator along the shore

Both males and females have an "armored" body with a muscular flat tail. They have four short legs; the front legs have five toes while the back legs have four toes. Alligators have a long snout with upward facing nostrils at the end; this lets them breathe while the rest of the body is underwater. The young can be distinguished from adults by the bright yellow stripes on the tail; adults have dark stripes on the tail.

Female alligators usually remain in a small area. The males occupy areas larger than two square miles. Both males and females extend their ranges during the courting and breeding season. Young alligators remain in the area where they are hatched and where they are protected by their mother. After two to three years, they leave that area in search of food, or are driven out by larger alligators.

Peggy pets an alligator!

Alligators are carnivorous. They have very strong jaws that can crack a turtle shell. They eat fish, snails and other invertebrates, birds, frogs, and mammals that come to the water's edge. They use their sharp teeth to seize and hold prey. Small prey is swallowed whole. If the prey is large, alligator shake it apart into smaller, manageable pieces. If it is very large, alligator bite it, then spin on the long axis of their bodies to tear off easily swallowed pieces. Because alligators will feed on almost anything, they pose a mild threat to humans. Alligators are generally timid towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if one approaches. Dogs and other pets are also sometimes eaten by alligators.

Alligators move on land by two forms of locomotion referred to as "sprawl" and "high walk". The 

The Alligator "High Walk"

sprawl is a forward movement with the belly making contact with the ground and is used to transition to "high walk" or to slither over wet substrate into water. The high walk is an up on four limbs forward motion used for overland travel with the belly well up from the ground. Alligators have also been observed to rise up and balance on their hind legs and semi step forward as part of a forward or upward lunge. However they can not walk on their hind legs for long distances.  Although the alligator has a heavy body and a slow metabolism, it is capable of short bursts of speed, especially in very short lunges.

One interesting aspect of alligator biology is that they undergo periods of dormancy when the weather is cold. They excavate a depression called a “gator hole” along a waterway and use it during dormancy. In areas where the water level fluctuates, alligators dig themselves into hollows in the mud, which fill with water. These tunnels are often as long as 65 feet and provide protection during extreme hot or cold weather. Many other animals also use these burrows after they are abandoned by their creators.

It has been reported that there are more alligators in Louisiana than people by a factor of ten to one.

Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus -- A What???

After a day of running the Intracoastal Waterway, we typically divert up a channel or bayou to anchor for the night. In these secluded anchorages we are out of the waterway traffic. With the anchor down and the engine off everything quiets down. Soon the birds go to roost and as the sun sets the Louisiana skies turn from blue to purple, then to orange, and then finally to a bright crimson red. With the still of the night we soon hear the pitter patter of tiny feet on the “Little Lara's” cabin top. These are not the sounds of “gremlins” (see the "California's Cape Horn" post), but sounds made by Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus. These night creatures have been around for over 30 million years. Just so you know that I am not making this stuff up; these beings were know in 1583 to the Spanish as

Peggy hiding below deck

“zancudos," which means "long-legged." They are also common in Europe: the French referring to them as "Les Moucherons", while the Germans called them "Stechmucken". In Scandinavian countries they are called by a variety of names including "myg" and "myyga", and the Greeks called them "konopus." In 300 B.C., Aristotle called them "empis" in his "Historia Animalium" where he documented their life cycle and metamorphic abilities. The Cajuns affectionately refer to them as their “state bird”, though they are not a birds, even if some of them seem to be as large as birds. Typically these long-legged, beady-eyed, blood-suckers are called "Mosquitoes", and when they come out in the Louisiana swamps and bayous they come out by the millions -- swarming, buzzing and biting! Within minutes “Little Lara's” decks are awash in them, forcing us below, where we install screens over every port-light and erect nets over the companionway hatch. All night we can hear these unwelcome guests knocking on the boat, wanting to be invited in for dinner.

Only the female Mosquitoes bite. They are attracted by several things, including heat, light, perspiration, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. We believe, they are also attracted to “Little Lara”! The female lands on your skin and sticks her proboscis into you. Anticoagulants contained in her saliva prevent your blood from clotting. She extracts a small portion of your blood into her abdomen - about 5 micro liters per serving. After she has bitten, some saliva remains in the wound. The proteins from that saliva evokes a natural immune response and causes the itching sensation, a response provoked by the saliva. Even though the swelling quickly goes away, the itch remains longer while your immune cells break down the saliva proteins. Why they love Peggy more then me, remains a mystery. I believe it is because she is much sweeter than me. In particular they like her legs and ankles.

Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus

Mosquitoes fly an estimated one to one and a half miles per hour. Some species remain close to their breeding site, while many fly up to ten miles or more in search of food, which explains why it does not matter where we anchor, they always find us. Mosquitoes, like all insects, are cold-blooded. As a result, their body temperatures are the same as their surroundings. In temperate climates, adult mosquitoes become inactive with the onset of cool weather and hibernate to live through the winter. In spring, or when temperatures rise, the females emerge from hibernation and immediately looks for food. For these reason we are looking forward to the cooler fall weather. Until then, you will find us aboard “Little Lara”, hiding out below deck, behind screens and netting. Fair winds.

Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Fillet Gumbo -- Me Oh My Oh

Marina at Lake Charles, LA

Jay's Post: We were a couple of days east of Port Arthur when we arrived at the Calcasieu Lock. When we radioed the "Lock Master" for permission to past through the lock we were informed it was closed during the weekdays to boat traffic. We decided rather than wait for the weekend, we would head North up the Calcasieu River for the City of Lake Charles. We ended up staying nine days in this beautiful town with its recently rebuilt marina, park and boardwalk.

That is one hot pepper

While here, we drove to Avery Island and toured the Tabasco Factory. Avery Island sits atop an elevated salt dome that extends eight miles beneath the earth's surface.  Tabasco Pepper Sauce had its beginnings in 1868 with Edmund Mcllhenny. Here the peppers were grown by Edmund Mcllhenny that went into making the sauce. Once harvested, the peppers are mashed, mixed with vinegar and stored for three or more years in wooden barrels. In addition to the original Tabasco Pepper Sauce, today this privately owned company produces a family of flavors which include Tabasco Sweet & Spicy, Tabasco Garlic, Tabasco Habanero, Tabasco Green Pepper, Tabasco Chipotle, Tabasco Soy Sauce, Tabasco Steak Sauce, Tabasco Raspberry, etc. At their General Store, in addition to all their sauces, they sell t-shirts, lights, souvenir spoons and glasses, towels, clocks, aprons, books all with the Tabasco logo. The most unusual item was Tabasco ice cream!

While at Avery Island we also drove through “The Jungle Gardens”. It was here that in 1895 Edward

Note the t-shirt and interesting trees

Mcllhenny built an aviary and captured eight wild snowy egrets. After raising their hatchlings he released them so they could migrate. The egrets returned the next spring and their offspring every year since. Today thousand of egrets and herons return to this rookery now called “Bird City”. “The Jungle Gardens” are home to the largest collection of camellias and azaleas. Oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling down from their limbs are prominent throughout the park. Also, within the park can be found deer, rabbits, armadillos, possums, squirrels, racoons, turtles, and alligators.

Vicksburg Union Line

Vicksburg Battlegrounds

Later we drove to Mississippi to tour the Vicksburg battle field.This is one of the more remarkable campaigns of the American Civil War. The Union troops assailed this Rebel stronghold on May 19 and 22, 1863 but were repulsed with such great loss that Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant determined to lay siege to the city to avoid further loss of life. Both soldiers and civilians alike endured the privations of siege before Lt. General John Pemberton’s surrendered his forces on July 4, 1863 after a prolonged siege operations of 54 days. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. Union causalities: 806 killed, 3940 wounded. Confederate causalities: 805 killed, 1938 wounded.

USS Cairo

Imagine our surprise when while touring the battlefield we found the USS Cairo Museum. The USS Cairo (prounounced Care-o) was a City-class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James Buchanan Eads during the Civil War. She was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats (sometimes also called the Cairo class) and was named for Cairo, Illinois. On 12 December 1862, in the Yazoo River near Vicksburg , the Cairo was the first ship sunk by a naval mine. There was no loss of life. Over the years the gunboat was forgotten and her watery grave was slowly covered by a shroud of silt and sand. Impacted in mud, Cairo became a time capsule in which her unique, historical artifacts were preserved against corrosion and biological degradation. Her whereabouts became a matter of speculation as members of the crew died and local residents were unsure of the location. Studying Civil War maps, Edwin C. Bearss of Vicksburg National Military Park set out to search for the lost ship using a simple magnetic compass. It was found in 1956. In 1960, numerous artifacts were recovered from the ship, including the pilothouse, and an 8-inch cannon. Eventually, the gunboat was salvaged from the bottom of the river in December 1964.

After enjoying Lake Charles and the surrounding area, we found it very difficult to leave, but after nine days it was time to move on.

USS Cairo's engine room

Lake Charles, LA

This is a really fun fountain

Peggy's Post: Lake Charles has a beautiful waterfront park and walking trails adjacent to the "Bord du lac" marina which is within walking distance of the civic center and the updated downtown area. This was a wonderful surprise since we weren't planning to come here ... and we were disappointed to have our travel plans disrupted by the work on the lock. So we made an attitude adjustment and went to "Plan B" and had a great time. Another happy surprise was the marina was only $10 a night (we opted for no electricity).

Plus, we found out there was a Cajun music and food festival: "Grand Reveil Acadie"' the weekend we were here! So we took advantage of the free film documentary “Against the Tide”, the history of the Acadian people and how they came to Louisiana, which played at the civic center with the director present to introduce the film. Also we enjoyed the Cajun bands, watching the dancing, and especially enjoyed sampling the Cajun food (jambalaya, gumbo etc). I even tried Alligator on a stick and frog legs.

You would love alligator on a stick!

During that same weekend we were able to attend the broadcast of the General Conference of our church. The talks were uplifting, the music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was outstanding and we were were introduced to three new apostles. What a wonderful spiritual treat!

We were also told of a great buffet at hotel "Isle of Capri", so on Monday off we went and we were rewarded with wonderful spread and a senior discount! Special thanks goes to John (for the freshly caught 27 inch red fish), Archie and Nikki (for the Boudin, a Cajun sausage, and for befriending us), and to Sweet Treats (for the excellent cookies).

Some A'comin, Some A'goin and Some A'sittin

After spending a week working on “Little Lara” we left Baytown  for Port Arthur, Texas on September 22, 2015. This required we sail down the Houston Ship Channel for 20 miles to Bolivar Roads, then east for 89 miles through the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway.

Large ships chasing "Little Lara"
down the Houston Ship Channel

The Houston Ship Channel achieved its earliest significance as a link between interior Texas and the Gulf of Mexico as the only waterway in Texas that was dependably navigable. Farmers over a large area brought their cotton to Houston to be shipped by barge or riverboat to Galveston, the best natural port in Texas, were it was transferred to seagoing vessels and thence to market. Goods destined for the Texas interior came upstream, and visitors and immigrants made the route one of the most traveled in Texas in the pre-railroad era. Even after railroads and automobiles later

Large ships waiting to enter
the Houston Ship Channel

diverted traffic, the Houston Ship Channel remained an important transportation artery for bulky goods. The Houston Ship Channel first opened to large ocean going vessels November 10, 1914. Today it is one of the busiest waterways in the United States. As we sailed down this inland seaway we encountered fishing trawlers, tug boats, barges and mammoth ocean going vessels. These large ships could be seen in front of us, waiting offshore to come into port or lined-up, behind us, as if on a freeway, as they headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. The sea traffic made sailing this area nerve racking for Peggy and me as we counted at one time over 16 huge ships coming towards us – either in front or from behind. These ships can reach lengths of 1300 feet, widths of 59 feet and travel up to 20 miles per hour. To put this into perspective, “Little Lara” is 24 feet long and 8 feet wide and travels up to 6 miles per hour! Luckily (or skillfully, depending upon to whom you talk) we were able to transverse this congested area safely, suffering only frayed nerves.

In Red
Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway

The Intracoastal Waterway is a navigable toll-free shipping route, extending 1300 miles along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Brownsville, Texas to Ft Myers, Florida. This waterway is a channel with a controlling depth of 12 feet. Although the U.S. government proposals for a waterway were first made in the early 19th century, the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway was not completed until 1949. It utilizes sounds, bays, lagoons, rivers, and canals. The route is federally maintained. It was originally planned to form a continuous channel from New York City to Brownsville, Texas, but the necessary canal link through northern Florida was never completed. The waterway is not always straight as it meanders through these sounds, bays, and lagoons.  One portion we transversed is referred to as "The Wiggles" because of its serpentine route.

"The Wiggles"
(Note: "Little Lara" is represented by the red triangle)

Today, the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is primarily used as a route for barges, but it also furnishes important access to major gulf ports for the large oceangoing vessels. On the ICW we encountered a great deal of barge traffic. A barge is a flat-bottomed boat built specifically to carry freight such as oil, petroleum products, foodstuffs, grains, building materials, and manufactured goods. The standard barge is 195 feet long, 35 feet wide with a capacity of 1500 tons. The average tow on the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway is two barges, but flotillas can go up to six barges, depending on the type of cargo, the river segments being navigated, and the size of the towboat. Towboats push these barges up and down the waterway and can range in size from about

Tight Squeeze -- two tugboats
passing on the ICW

117 feet long by 30 feet wide to more than 200 feet long and 45 feet wide. They draft anywhere from six feet to nine feet. A towboat's diesel engine can produce power from a few hundred horsepower to 10,000 horsepower, moving a tow at four to six miles per hour. Why is a towboat called a "towboat" when it pushes barges you ask? The word "tow" comes from the canal age when a draft animal walking along the bank of the canal pulled a barge. As rivermen gained experience with moving barges, they found that, by lashing barges together and pushing them, they could control the barges better and move more of them. The control was especially helpful when navigating the smaller rivers and tight river bends. Like the Houston Ship Channel, we found large volumes of barge traffic all along the waterway. Some were coming, some were going, and many were tied up waiting for their next cargo shipment. Though seeing a four hundred foot barge and towboat coming at us was not nearly as nerve racking as a 1300 foot container ship, it still proved dicey as we would approach one in a narrow part of the channel or when we would suddenly encounter one coming around a bend.

As we crossed over into Louisiana we arrived at the Calcasieu Locks.  These locks were designed to limit salt water from migrating upstream into Louisiana's freshwater channels and bayous.  The "Lock Master" informed us the locks were closed each day, except weekends, until 5:00 pm for repairs.  This made it difficult for us as there is no safe anchorages east of the locks for 20 miles, a distance great than we could travel with only two hours of daylight remaining, so we decided to sail up the Calcasieu River for the city of Lake Charles.  Here we found a new marina close to the down town area, and a beautiful city park with a playground our grandchildren would die for. We plan to remain in Lake Charles so we can attend General Conference and while we wait to see what hurricane Joaquin decides to do. Peggy was excited to learn that there is an Acadian (Cajun) music and food festival here this weekend. We have enjoyed the first two weeks of our trip. True, the weather has been hot and humid, but the plant life has been beautiful, the birds and marine life have been interesting and the people have been fabulous.  Plus, we are safe in an interesting, beautiful part of Louisiana.  We could not ask for more.  Fair winds!